The Puducherry Assembly elections 2026 are shaping into one of the fiercest battles the Union Territory has seen in recent years. The Union Territory is heading into a closely fought battle between the ruling NDA, led by the All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress-DMK alliance. Actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has entered the contest as well, seeking to make it a triangular contest.
With all 30 seats heading to the polls on April 9, the spotlight is firmly on heavyweight contenders who carry long political legacies, strong support bases and sharply contrasting campaign styles. A total of 294 people are competing in the elections, comprising 34 candidates from national parties, 63 from state parties, 80 from registered but unrecognised parties and 117 independent contenders. As parties intensify their pitch and alliances work to consolidate votes, several key candidates have emerged as central figures in this high-stakes contest.
Here's the list of key candidates in the fray:
| S.No. | Candidate Name | Party | Assembly Constituency |
| 1 | N. Rangasamy | AINRC | Thattanchavady |
| 2 | V Vaithilingam | Congress | Thattanchavady |
| 3 | E Vinayagam | NMK | Thattanchavady |
| 4 | A Namassivayam | BJP | Mannadipet |
| 5 | GNS Rajasekaran | BJP | Thirunallar |
| 6 | T Thiagarajan | AINRC | Bahour |
| 7 | SS Rangan | DMK | Mangalam |
| 8 | K Ragubady | Congress | Mangalam |
| 9 | TPR Selvame | Congress | Mannadipet |
| 10 | K Bharathithasan | TVK | Mannadipet |
| 11 | VP Ramalingame | BJP | Raj Bhavan |
| 12 | R Kumaran | Congress | Raj Bhavan |
| 13 | Vignesh Kannan | DMK | Raj Bhavan |
| 14 | VP Sivakolundhu | AINRC | Lawspet |
| 15 | M Vaithianathan | Congress | Lawspet |
| 16 | V Saminathan | TVK | Lawspet |
| 17 | Malladi Krishna Rao | AINRC | Yanam |
| 18 | Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok | Congress | Yanam |
| 19 | Thota Raju | TVK | Yanam |
| 20 | Vaiyapuri Manikandan | AINRC | Muthiyalpet |
Puducherry Assembly Elections
Voting in Puducherry will take place on April 9. The counting of votes will be held on May 4, the ECI announced. The current term of the 30-member Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory is set to expire on June 15.
In the 2021 Puducherry Assembly Elections, AINRC emerged as the largest party with 10 seats, followed by DMK with six seats, while BJP and Congress won six seats each. The voter turnout was recorded at 84.8 per cent. While in the 2016 elections, Congress had secured a majority with 15 seats, AINRC won eight seats, AIADMK bagged four seats, and DMK got two seats, with voter turnout at 83.6 per cent.
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Puducherry Assembly Elections 2026: List of all constituencies going to polls on April 9 |
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Puducherry Assembly Election 2026: Complete list of AINRC, BJP, AIADMK and LJK candidates |
